Monday, February 7, 2005

JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED UPDATE

Before he plays Mr. Fantastic, Ioan Gruffudd is playing Mister Miracle, voicing the character in an episode of Justice League Unlimited that premieres this Saturday.

Gruffudd, who is starring in the upcoming Fantastic Four movie, is highlighted in "The Ties That Bind."

"It was an enjoyable experience," he said of his JLU role after a Fantastic Four press conference in October.

"All the ladies took notice of him when he came in to do the voice," Justice League Unlimited producer Bruce Timm said. "He turned quite a few heads."

Here's how Cartoon Network described the episode:

"The worldıs greatest escape artist needs help from the Flash in order to break a deadly enemy out of an inescapable prison on an alien planet."

Timm has said that Justice League Unlimited might be his last foray in the DC Animated Universe. "So this is my chance to do a Mister Miracle story ... it's going to be really fun," Timm said.

Michael Rosenbaum reprises his role as The Flash.

Click on the thumbnails below for larger images from the episode and look for more Justice League news soon here in The Continuum.

CONSTANTINE MOVIE UPDATE

The Continuum has obtained a new image of Keanu Reeves from the upcoming Constantine movie.

The image is from an exorcism scene early in the movie that features a surprise.

Click on the image for a fuller and larger image.

In other Constantine news:

* Comics Continuum readers will have a chance to join in on a live chat with Reeves and director Francis Lawrence on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. (ET). An exclusive clip from the movie will run at the end of the chat, plus wallpapers and images will also be available for the participants. The first 50 Comics Continuum readers who send an e-mail to ComicsContinuum@aol.com will be given passwords to the chat.

* Constantine star Keanu Reeves will appear on CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman on Tuesday, Feb. 15. Rachel Weisz will be on Letterman's show on Friday, Feb. 18, the day the movie opens.

JEFF MARIOTTE ON ANGEL

IDW Publishing has confirmed that Jeff Mariotte will be writing its first Angel mini-series.

Angel: The Curse is a five-issue mini-series that launches in June.

Here's how IDW describes the series:

"Angel is on the run in a mysterious forest in Romania, searching for the Gypsy clan that cursed him so many years ago. But he discovers that the landscape of Romania has changed considerably since he's been gone -- now, the Gypsies are oppressed, living under the thumb of a local warlord who holds his power by using a vampire army. Angel is forced to take a stand, and the resulting conflict may well doom any hope Angel has of ever reversing the curse."

Mariotte has written more Angel novels than any other writer, and co-wrote the first official behind-the-scenes series companion, The Angel Casefiles, Vol. 1.

"To be asked to continue the story of Angel after five seasons on TV (not to mention dozens of books and comics) is really an honor," Mariotte said. "Angel fans have been wondering where and how the vampire-with-a-soul's story would go from the series finale, which left Angel and friends in a pretty tight spot. I've been wondering too, but now I get to tell the tale myself, with direct input from Joss himself. What could be cooler?"

Italian artist David Messina provides the visuals, and all five issues of the mini-series will feature variant covers from renowned artists like Tim Bradstreet, Igor Kordey, Jill Thompson, ChrisCross and Ben Templesmith.

WAR OF THE WORLDS GRAPHIC NOVEL

Best Sellers Illustrated will launch its line of graphic novels in May with an adaptation of the H.G. Wells science-fiction classic, The War of the Worlds.

Vice-president Aron Kessler said, "Wells was far ahead of his time when The War of the Worlds was first published in book form in 1898. Not only was he a visionary, but he was also an astute social critic whose writings are as relevant today as they were over a century ago. For these reasons, we're able to remain true to the original story, while completely updating it for a modern audience."

The adaptation is written by Stephen Stern, writer/creator of the independent comic-book, Zen Intergalactic Ninja. Stern's other credits include the comic-book adaptation of the animated classic, Mr. Magooıs Christmas Carol and the collection of novellas and short stories, Alien Hero.

"The War of the Worlds isnıt just a great science-fiction novel; itıs great literature," Stern said. "As always in modernizing a classic, the task is to remain faithful to the spirit of the source material while re-imagining it in a contemporary context. In this instance, Iım also shifting the locale from London and its environs to the New York metropolitan area. In light of recent history, this attack by the Martians takes on a chilling relevancy
and poignancy."

War of the Worlds is illustrated by veteran Star Trek comic-book artist Arne Starr. The graphic novel will feature a cover by Frank Brunner.

KIDS' WB! SCHEDULES

Kids' WB! has released schedules for two upcoming weeks, including two reruns each of The Batman and Teen Titans.

Episodes of The Batman include "The Big Heat" on Saturday, Feb. 19, and "The Big Chill" on Saturday, Feb. 26.

Episodes of Teen Titans include "Fractured" on Saturday, Feb. 19 and "Date with Destiny" on Saturday, Feb. 26.

For the network's complete schedule for the week of Feb. 14, CLICK HERE.

For the network's complete schedule for the week of Feb. 21, CLICK HERE.

BRIEFLY

* The WB has released another image from "Recruit," Wednesday's episode of Smallville. Click on the image for a larger and fuller image.

* Marvel Comics has signed Ed Brubaker to an exclusive contract.

"After years and years on exclusive at the competition, I wasn't planning to be anything but freelance for a long time," said Brubaker, who is currently writing Captain America. "But Joe (Quesada) and Dan (Buckley) simply made me an offer that was too good to refuse."

"It offers me the chance to work on characters I've loved since childhood, as well as unprecedented freedom to finish all my prior commitments and to do creator-owned work, either at Marvel or elsewhere."

* To the right are designs for Amun, the new villain who will appear in Arana: Heart of the Spider #2. Amun is described as "an assassin with a dark goth edge and mysterious powers endowed by the Egyptian Gods...but he's also the new transfer student in school."

* To the left is another look at one of the cover to Ultimate Iron Man #1, this time with trade dress. Click on the thumbnail for a larger view.

* Son of The Mask star Jamie Kennedy will appear on NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Monday.

* Temporary, the Origin Comics series by Damon Hurd and Rick Smith, has gone from quarterly to bi-monthly release. The new storyline from Temporary, The Real Me is now being released in two parts spanning issues 2 and 3, and the cover price has been lowered to $2.95.

* Coming Tuesday: DC news -- and much more!!!

COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES

In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links: